1. Field of disclosure
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to flat panel displays. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a display apparatus capable of being used as a transmissive type or a reflective type display.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first and second substrates. The LCD displays an image according to an electric field applied to the liquid crystal layer.
Since liquid crystal contained in the liquid crystal layer is a non-emissive material, a separate light source typically supplies light to the liquid crystal layer. In general, LCDs are often classified into a reflective display apparatus, a transmissive display apparatus, and a transflective display apparatus according to the type of light supplied to the liquid crystal layer. In particular, the reflective display apparatus uses external (e.g., ambient) light, the transmissive display apparatus uses light provided from a backlight unit, and the transflective display apparatus uses both light provided from a backlight unit and external light.
In a transflective display apparatus, one pixel is generally divided into a transmissive region and a reflective region. Accordingly, the transflective display apparatus has low efficiency of using light when the transflective display apparatus is used in a transmissive mode or a reflective mode.